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Sunday, 1 March 2015

H stand for Hamam..

On our very first visit to Turkey we took the opportunity to visit a Hamam or to the uninitiated, a Turkish Bath.

On entering you are given a changing room to undress in. Ladies and gents tend to keep their underwear on and are given a pestemal to wrap around them, this is usually a red and white check cloth.

A Tellak (attendant) will then lead you through to the hot room, much like a sauna, and there you will stay for 15 mins(I lasted 8mins), just too hot, for a delicate flower like moi!

The hot room.

After having been toasted in the HOT ROOM you are given scoop like buckets to take fresh spa water from the delightful ancient marble basins, to pour all over yourself, in preparation for the next stage of the cleansing ritual.

We were taken to the splendid marble platform by the masseur then soaked with warm water and lathered with a fragrant, sudsy swab - then the most amazing massage.

After that, we were scrubbed all over again, then another rinse. Finally, more soap washing, this was followed by a jolly good rinsing session with cold water. Fortunately, the marble platform was heated!

The Gobektasi . A central raised heated marble platform.

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After we'd been pummelled, soaped, rinsed and even spun around and around, under mountains of suds, by the chuckling Tellaks, we were given our final rinse and then wrapped in huge warm fluffy towels.

We were led to the lounge area to recover from, what can only be described as the most thorough wash of a lifetime!

When we'd recovered from this most exhilarating experience we tootled back to our hotel room with the intention of having a quick nap then dinner.

This was not to be, we both fell fast asleep and awoke at 7am the next morning, having missed our dinner. Needless to say we were first in the dining room for a hearty breakfast!

Yet another happy memory of high jinks in Turkey.

My heartfelt thanks to Denise for devising ABCW and to the honourable Roger for all his hard work. Best wishes to all from Di.... abcw team.

Hi Meryl. me too, get rid of dry skin caused by central heating....You could always have a roll in the snow do it Scandinavian style an d beat yourself with twigs! ha ha ! just a little jest. Nothing worse than construction work being carried out, so stressful.Best wishes,Di,ABCW team.

what a glorious place! I've experienced a sauna in my friend's grandparents home: that was the only way they bathed. I loved it. I've had massages- so peaceful that the masseuse needed to wake me for me to turn over.

Hi Ellen, It was quite an experience and such a laugh, we giggled all the way through it!From then on, each time we visited Turkey a visit to the Hamam was top of the 'things to do' list.Plenty more tales to tell about our trips to Turkey....watch this space!Best wishes,Di.ABCW team.

Hi Debbie, You can't go to Istanbul without a visit to the Hamam, it's a must. The people that look after you are lovely and the men are so respectful to ladies, If you're travelling solo they will arrange for a female masseur, as it happened my masseur was male but then myhusband was with me. We were on the marble table together getting soaped and spun around in all the soap suds,It really was great fun. Make sure you go at the beginning of your holiday so that you don't get your sun tan washed off.Enjoy Istanbul, I am most envious!Best wishes, Di.ABCW. team.

Hi Roger, So sorry you're feeling crumby, all the good reason to visit a Hamam, I'm sure there must be one in New York, There used to be one in Liverpool but I think it may have closed, I must check.Best wishes,Di.ABCW team.

Hi Arnoldo, So good to hear from you again,I'm sorry to learn of your high stress levels....Yes a trip to Turkey is just what the doctor ordered, May is a good time to visit before it gets too hot.The Hamam is a must to wash away stress, Hope you're feeling better soon,Kind thoughts and prayers coming your way,Best wishes,Di,ABCW team.

Hi there Meoww,I'm sure you would. My favourite part was the soaping in all those suds, and we laughed so much, but the massage was good after spending the whole day exploring the ancient site of Ephesus.Little wonder we slept for so long, Thanks for commenting.Best wishes,Di,ABCW team.

Hi Alexa, I see that you have travelled all over Europe so you would love Turkey, part of it is in S. Europe (Istanbul area). then, a short boat trip across the Bosporus , will bring you to the largest part of Turkey, which is in Asia Minor.There are so many photographic opportunities of land, sea, mountain and the ancient historic sites, I'm sure, by what I read about you, you would love it.Best wishes,Di.ABCW team.

Hi Nick, HOT it was in the HOT room, but not at all HUMID.I think all the constantly, running spa water, seems to disperse any steam, also, the ceiling has a rather HIGH dome which lends to a very fresh feel.Best wishes,DI.ABCW team.

Hi Tulika,It really was so much fun, we giggled like a pair of children right through it., We were so glad about the under floor heating and the large marble table, that we were soaped and pummelled upon.. So much fun indeed.

Hi Margy, I really can't begin to tell you about the thrill of it all, we've had so many wonderful holidays in Turkey that, people tell me I should write a book about our trips, maybe one day!Best wishes,Di.ABCW team.

Hi there Su-see, Good to hear from you again.I reckon it was one of the best sleeps I've ever had.Himself was most put out that he'd missed his dinner. it took him days to catch up!Never mind ,there were lots of Turkish eateries for him to top up! He does like his food, so Turkey is a good place to eat, wonderful cuisine!Best wishes,Di.ABCW team.and never gains weight

Hi Carol, thanks for stopping by and your kind comments.It was a wonderful experience, so exhilarating too!I am really enjoying being part of the team on ABCW,got to meet so many lovely people from all over the world,can't get much better than that!I love reading your blog too, so interesting and black Jack isquite adorable, along with Bill, of course!Best wishes,Di...xx